The protesters raised slogans against the kidnapping of minor Hindu girls in various parts of the province.

Protest at Karachi Press Club to Sindh Assembly against forced conversion pic.twitter.com/Hy78KQ5AI2

— Veengas (@VeengasJ) March 30, 2023

The victims’ families also decried police apathy over the matter.
The forced conversion of underage Hindu girls to Islam in Sindh is a severe issue. Human rights groups have continuously urged the government authorities to introduce laws regarding forced conversations.

Earlier, the United Nations had also urged Pakistan to curtail the practice of forced marriages of young girls from religious minorities to Muslim men. The United Nations had also called on Pakistani authorities to adopt and implement legislation in this regard.

In a statement, the UN had “expressed alarm” that young girls from religious minorities are kidnapped, trafficked, forcibly converted to Islam, and forced to marry men. The statement called on Pakistani authorities to curb this practice and uphold international human rights law.

Moreover, according to a recent report by the United States Institute of Peace, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in extremism and intolerance of diversity and dissent as the state-sanctioned laws and conservative narratives facilitate religious extremist elements and support their narrative, leaving little space for religious inclusion.

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The filmmakers shared the news on their Instagram handle and said the documentary, titled My Mother’s Daughter, is based on true events and follows the story of an underage Christian girl who was abducted from Faisalabad by a middle-aged man and then was forcibly married to him after being converted to Islam.

 

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The filmmakers also said to ensure the authenticity of the case, they spent months verifying the case and also went to court hearings with the survivor.

The censor board has rejected the film, calling it “propaganda that is trying to highlight wrong values that go against the culture in Pakistan”.

The filmmakers also shared statistics regarding forced conversions and said that “up to 1,000 young girls are forcefully converted every year” and added that calling the documentary “propaganda” is a gross injustice to their plight and stories.

Forced conversions of underage girls from religious minorities is a severe issue in Pakistan and human rights defenders have continuously urged the authorities to take strict measures to curtail this practice.

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REPORT LAUNCH: HRCP’s report ‘A Breach of Faith: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2021-22’ observes with considerable alarm developments during 2021/22 that belie the state’s commitment to freedom of religion or belief. 1/3@EUPakistan https://t.co/Vpj4o5KxRw pic.twitter.com/aKgY61f0iS

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) February 7, 2023

The HRCP, in a report titled: A Breach of Faith: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2021-22, said that “it has observed with considerable alarm developments during 2021/22 that belie the state’s commitment to freedom of religion or belief.”

The report pointed out that the incidence of forced conversions in Sindh has remained “worryingly consistent”. It also added that the desecration of Ahmadi worship places has continued with no response from the State.

The incidence of forced conversions in Sindh has remained worryingly consistent. Reports of religious minorities’ sites of worship being desecrated have continued, but with no response from the state when such incidents involve sites associated with the Ahmadiyya community. 2/3

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) February 7, 2023

In Punjab, the mandatory declaration of faith for marriage certificates has further marginalised the Ahmadiyya community, while attempts to enforce a standardised national curriculum have created an exclusionary narrative that sidelines Pakistan’s religious minorities. 3/3

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) February 7, 2023

“In Punjab, the mandatory declaration of faith for marriage certificates has further marginalised the Ahmadiyya community, while attempts to enforce a standardised national curriculum have created an exclusionary narrative that sidelines Pakistan’s religious minorities,” it added.

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